Wrap Tefillin and Tortillas at Jews in Mexican Cinema Showcase

I no sooner finish watching the new Kate Hudson tearjerker, A Little Bit of Heaven, in which Gael García Bernal co-stars as Yiddishe kop Dr. Julian Goldstein, than news of ¡Celèbrate! appears in my inbox. It must be something in the water.

Get set to wrap tefillin and tortillas when the San Diego Latino Film Festival partners with the San Diego Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League and the San Diego Jewish Film Festival to present, ¡Celèbrate! It's billed as "an unprecedented festival of film, music, and lectures highlighting the Jewish experience in Spanish-speaking countries starting in May, 2012."

If by "the Jewish experience in Spanish-speaking countries" they refer to the time I played ATM opposite two greedy Federales and left Tijuana $300 lighter, all is forgiven.

¡Celèbrate! begins on Wednesday, May 9 at 7:30 pm with, Jews in Mexican Cinema. Hosted by director Isaac Artenstein (Tijuana Jews), the seminar will feature highlights from the careers of Jewish filmmakers and discuss the contributions they made to Mexican cinema. The event will be held in La Jolla at the Lawrence Family JCC's David and Dorthea Garfield Theatre. Tickets are $10.00.

Join award-winning jazz guitarist/composer/producer Jaime Valle for Jazz Latino with Jewish Inspirations. Jazz singer Coral MacFarland will also take to the stage to perform in Ladino, the Spanish-Jewish dialect spoken by Sephardic Jews. The concert will be held at 7:30 pm on Thursday, May 17 at 98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Tickets are $20.00.

On Thursday, May 23, Enrique Chmelnik will present a lecture titled The Struggle for Tolerance in Mexico at the Ohr Shalom Synagogue on Third Street in San Diego. Chmelnik hosts El Aleph de Radio Red: La Voz Judia en la Radio, the only Jewish radio program in Mexico. He will put a historic perspective on the current state of discrimination and tolerance in Mexico. Tickets are $5.00.

A $30.00 pass good for all three event is available. Click for more information.